Dark Shadows: Episode 5 - Victoria Leaving?

The fifth episode really centered around Victoria Winters. She is in every conversation, of complete focus. Her hearing moaning at two in the morning, enduring Roger’s interrogation, listening to David tell her he hates her, and the frustrations of being tied to Burke Devlin despite only meeting him briefly. We get an introduction to Sam, the drunk artist father of Maggie, and he speaks floridly about the melancholic history of Collinwood to Vicky as they overlook the rushing waves from on top of Widow’s Hill. Talk of ghosts, Josette leaping to her death after mistreatment which gives the hill its notoriety, and Elizabeth awaiting the return of her husband after 18 years; Sam fills in Vicky on plenty of juicy details.

This episode addresses whether or not Victoria will stay at Collinwood or head back to New York after a few rough experiences with members of the Collins family, such as Roger’s antagonistic interrogation of her conversation with rival Burt Devlin, little David telling her he hates her, and the sounds of agonizing moaning that filled the house (yet no other member heard these moans). David, quite a weird little tyke, seems to be a bratty jerk, trashing Vicky’s room while she is talking with Carolyn who wants her to stay at Collinwood and insisting that “the widows want her gone”. Roger, in better spirits, asks for forgiveness, while Carolyn spends time trying to convince Vicky to stay (Carolyn likes having a friend around). This episode hints at a possible connection, perhaps even familial, between orphan Vicky, who had lived her whole life at the foundling home, and the Collins family. This episode also talks about Elizabeth’s husband’s leaving Collinwood (Carolyn has never really met her father as he left the family mysteriously when she was born and Elizabeth has never left Collinwood since), introduces us to Maggie Evans’ pops, Sam, who confronts Vicky on the cliff overlooking the water, and mentions the suicide of Josette, a French girl who married a member of the Collins family (Barnabas is not mentioned as the husband, which is fascinating in itself), deciding to leap from Widow’s Hill to her death because of the ridicule and hatred exhibited by everyone in Collins Port. There are episodes which really set up future storylines and prepare us for what might come just ahead. I think this episode is important in that regard, establishing characters mentioned previously, and setting the foundation for the Barnabas story arc that would bring Dark Shadows to prominence. I am particularly anxious to see where the show takes the “widows” storyline and how creepy kid David is utilized to further this plot moving forward. There’s reasons Vicky can hear these moans and why the widows want her gone; I’m excited about the storyline, curious as to where it is going. I really enjoy these early pre-Barnabas episodes because all the characters are given story credence whereas Barnabas becomes central to everything that occurs when he enters the picture. It is interesting that a show changes its primary focus from one character (Vicky) to Barnabas, but right now I’m just happy to see the show as it is before his existence becomes essential to all goings-on.